Deploy Operator With Helm

Overview

Helm is a tool for automating the deployment of applications to Kubernetes clusters. A Helm chart is a set of YAML files, templates, and other files that define the deployment details. The following procedure uses a Helm Chart to install the MinIO Kubernetes Operator to a Kubernetes cluster.

Prerequisites

See the Operator Prerequisites for a baseline of requirements. Helm installations have the following additional requirements:

• Helm (Use the Version appropriate for your Kubernetes API version)
• yq

For more about Operator installation requirements, including supported Kubernetes versions and TLS certificates, see the Operator deployment prerequisites.

This procedure assumes familiarity with the referenced Kubernetes concepts and utilities. While this documentation may provide guidance for configuring or deploying Kubernetes-related resources on a best-effort basis, it is not a replacement for the official Kubernetes Documentation.

Install the MinIO Operator using Helm Charts

The following procedure installs the Operator using the MinIO Operator Chart Repository. This method supports a simplified installation path compared to the local chart installation. You can modify the Operator deployment after installation.

1. Add the MinIO Operator Repo to Helm

   The archived project repository endpoint at https://operator.min.io currently serves the v7.1.1 charts. Add this repository to Helm:

   helm repo add minio-operator https://operator.min.io

   You can validate the repo contents using helm search:

   helm search repo minio-operator

   The response should resemble the following:

   NAME                            CHART VERSION   APP VERSION     DESCRIPTION
   minio-operator/minio-operator   4.3.7           v4.3.7          A Helm chart for MinIO Operator
   minio-operator/operator         7.1.1           v7.1.1          A Helm chart for MinIO Operator
   minio-operator/tenant           7.1.1           v7.1.1          A Helm chart for MinIO Operator

   The minio-operator/minio-operator is a legacy chart and should not be installed under normal circumstances.

2. Install the Operator

   Run the helm install command to install the Operator. The following command specifies and creates a dedicated namespace minio-operator for installation. MinIO strongly recommends using a dedicated namespace for the Operator.

   helm install \
     --namespace minio-operator \
     --create-namespace \
     --version 7.1.1 \
     operator minio-operator/operator

3. Verify the Operator installation

   Check the contents of the specified namespace (minio-operator) to ensure all pods and services have started successfully.

   kubectl get all -n minio-operator

   The response should resemble the following:

   NAME                                  READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
   pod/minio-operator-699f797b8b-th5bk   1/1     Running   0          25h
   pod/minio-operator-699f797b8b-nkrn9   1/1     Running   0          25h
   
   NAME               TYPE        CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)             AGE
   service/operator   ClusterIP   10.43.44.204    <none>        4221/TCP            25h
   service/sts        ClusterIP   10.43.70.4      <none>        4223/TCP            25h
   
   NAME                             READY   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
   deployment.apps/minio-operator   2/2     2            2           25h
   
   NAME                                        DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AGE
   replicaset.apps/minio-operator-79f7bfc48    2         2         2       123m

You can now deploy a tenant using Helm Charts.

Install the MinIO Operator using Local Helm Charts

The following procedure installs the Operator using a local copy of the Helm Charts. This method may support easier pre-configuration of the Operator compared to the repo-based installation

1. Download the Helm charts

   On your local host, download the Operator Helm charts to a convenient directory:

   curl -O https://operator.min.io/helm-releases/operator-7.1.1.tgz

2. (Optional) Modify the values.yaml

   The chart contains a values.yaml file you can customize to suit your needs. For details on the options available in the MinIO Operator values.yaml, see Operator Helm Charts.

   For example, you can change the number of replicas for operator.replicaCount to increase or decrease pod availability in the deployment. See Operator Helm Charts for more complete documentation on the Operator Helm Chart and Values.

   For more about customizations, see Helm Charts.

3. Install the Helm Chart

   Use the helm install command to install the downloaded chart archive.

   helm install \
   --namespace minio-operator \
   --create-namespace \
   minio-operator ./operator-7.1.1.tgz

4. To verify the installation, run the following command:

   kubectl get all --namespace minio-operator

   If you initialized the Operator with a custom namespace, replace minio-operator with that namespace.

   With the chart defaults, the namespace should contain a minio-operator Deployment with two ready replicas, an operator ClusterIP service on port 4221, and an sts ClusterIP service on port 4223. Pod hashes, cluster IPs, and ages vary by installation.

You can now deploy a tenant using Helm Charts.